Page 191 of Steeling Her
She made delicious treats. Mini pizzas, hotdogs, and cupcakes to name a few, but I could tell she was on high alert with all of these kids in her home.
“Hey.” I grab her arm to stop her from fixing the table for the fourth time today. The sheet over the table has been repositioned I don’t know how many times by her. Chris has talked her away from the table a few times but she always goes back and makes sure that everything is perfect. “Let me do this. You go upstairs and change into a swimsuit and relax in the jacuzzi. You need it,” I offer to help her out, seeing as there is no way I’ll be getting into the pool. I purposely didn’t bring a swimsuit so that nobody would make me get in.
“No, it’s okay, you’re the gue—” I shake my head, not allowing her to pull that card on me. She’s like a sister to me, and will be one day if she gets her way. I hope she does. I want her to enjoy her time with her little girl on her birthday.
“Go, everything will be fine.” I nod to the door and tell her to go and relax. “I’ll watch the kids and the food.” With a short nod and a quick glance at her child splashing around the pool, she disappears through the sliding glass doors to fetch herself a swimsuit. She’s content with the way things are going right now. I just hope it stays like this.
I grab a Goldfish covered in cheese to eat from one of the bowls and choke when I hear Nick’s voice behind me.
“You swimming later?” I jump and turn around, putting my hand on my chest. “Are you okay?” He holds my shoulder and I nod, coughing up the stupid cracker that went down the wrong way.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I breathe in.
“I didn’t realize the sight of me would make you choke,” he jokes and I begin to laugh at him. “If I was that ugly, why did you agree to d—” He stops himself but I know what he was getting at. If he was that ugly, then why did I date him?
That’s not the case and he knows it.
“You know you’re not,” I tell him without even thinking about it. I shut my mouth as soon as I said it.
“I know what?” he teases. He wants to hear me say it but I can’t. I can’t do that to myself or Ted. It’s not fair.
“Nothing.” I shake my head and listen to the squeals around the water. “And no, I won’t be swimming today. I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” I confess and watch him nod. His hand is still on my shoulder. I don’t want him to remove it but he does anyway.
“I’m sure Danielle could lend you—”
“No.” I shut his offer down immediately. I know she’d offer but I just can’t get in the water anymore. I’m terrified and have been since that night. The way I felt so helpless when I was submerged, I felt scared that nobody could save me.
But someone did, and I was grateful for him in that moment. What happened after that night when Nick carried me back to the house floods my mind as well as what we did afterwards in the shower.
“Okay, I didn’t mean to push it,” he apologizes. I nod, ashamed that I snapped at him.
“It’s not you, I’m just so scared of the water. Ever since that party when . . . you know . . .” I trail off, hoping he’d fill in the dots.
“Trumer?” He links my thoughts with his, and I’m thankful he did. I didn’t feel like recounting that night, if I’m honest. He made up for the night later, but it still scares me to get into a pool because of what happened. The sudden shock of falling into water without taking a breath really knocked me.
“Hey, Carter! You’re looking better than the last time I saw you!” Jason chuckles when he joins Nick and me by the snack table. My cheeks started to flame up when I remember what Haley and Danielle told me. That night was really not my best night. I was a drunken mess, and Ted was not happy about it. He told me how immature it was and that I was careless. He was right. I made a bad call and I paid for it the next day. I can assure you, I won’t be doing it again.
“Yeah, I don’t think it would be hard.” I chuckle, embarrassed by my own actions. I cover my face with my hands, trying to hide from him and the memory. “I’m sorry. I was such a . . . mess. I’m normally not like that.” I remember small things about that night as I defend what dignity I have left. I’m pretty sure I said something stupid to Nick too. I remember his face, bu’ I don’t know where I was, who was there, and what I was doing. All I remember is his face, that’s it.
“Hey, ’no worries. This guy took care of you.” He slaps Nicks chest, making my eyes flick to him. “I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble with Ted though.” He smiles and throws a few Goldfish into his mouth. It’s not just me that has an addiction to the fishy crackers.
“Why would she? It’s her own decision. If she wanted to have fun with Danielle and Haley, she can. He doesn’t control her,” Nick comments to Jason, who does nothing but smile at him.
Jason picks up on people’s characters very fast, he’s such a likable guy. I wish I had a friend for him to date but I don’t because I don’t have many friends. He’s a reserved guy, but he reads social situations better than anyone I’ve known. It’s what makes him a great linebacker, he picks up on things other people miss.
“You don’t know him, Nick.” Jason pats his shoulder and looks over at my boyfriend who is on his phone for work.Again.
I wish I could throw his phone into the water sometimes. It annoys me so much.
“Jason, stop. He doesn’t control me. He’s just . . . opinionated.” I know the guys are very judgemental when it comes to Ted, and it’s because he has expressed how much football is a waste of time many times. It annoyed them, so they have limited their interactions with him, except for Jason and TJ because they understand that it’s his opinion and it doesn’t bother them.
“Tooopinionated, if you ask me,” Chris butts in. I roll my eyes heavenward. He acknowledges Nick standing beside me with a head nod. I’m a little surprised that my brother did that, but I still shut him down for the snarky comment he just made.
“Chris,” I warn him, and he shrugs his shoulders like it’s no big deal. He reaches for a sandwich on a platter ’behind me and begins to eat it like he didn’t just insult my boyfriend.
“What? It’s not my fault that I prefer your ex-boyfriend to your current one.” I widen my eyes in shock that he just openly said that. He actually just said that. In front of my ex-boyfriend.
I slap him on the arm because he’s acting unfairly towards me and Ted. He can’t say things like that. “You’re an asshole.” I storm off and see my mom and Haley sitting at the outdoor table watching over the kids.
